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This Month on FaithfulReader.com...

During this Lenten season, we at FaithfulReader.com are preparing for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection with our annual Easter Books roundup. Once again, we have selected books from a variety of authors and genres to guide you through this most sacred time of the year. It is our hope that our compilation of fiction and nonfiction titles for adults and picture books for children will encourage you to evaluate your relationships with God and your loved ones. We wish you and your family a blessed and fulfilling Easter season.

BY YOUR SIDE: Crisis Team, Book 1 by Candace Calvert (Romantic Suspense)
ER nurse Macy Wynn has finally located the fellow foster child she loves like a sister, but the girl is in deep trouble. Macy is determined to help, no matter what it takes. Her motto is to “make it happen” in any situation life throws at her --- even when she butts heads with an idealistic cop. Deputy Fletcher Holt believes in a higher plan, the fair outcome. Now he’s been yanked from Houston, his mother is battling cancer, and he’s attracted to a strong-willed nurse who could be the target of a brutal sniper. When everything goes wrong, where do they put their trust?

LAST ONE HOME by Debbie Macomber (Romance)
Growing up, Cassie Carter and her sisters, Karen and Nichole, were incredibly close --- until one fateful event drove them apart. After high school, Cassie ran away from home to marry the wrong man, throwing away a college scholarship. Now 31, Cassie is living in Seattle with her daughter and hoping to leave her past behind. Despite the strides she has made, she hasn’t been able to make peace with her sisters. Then one day, Cassie receives a letter from Karen, offering what Cassie thinks may be a chance to reconcile. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

FIGHT BACK WITH JOY: Celebrate More. Regret Less. Stare Down Your Greatest Fears by Margaret Feinberg (Memoir/Inspirational)
When Margaret Feinberg learned she had cancer, she knew she would need great strength to overcome it. She believed the weapon she selected for the battle would change everything. And she decided that weapon would be joy. Here Margaret shares her journey of using joy to fight back fear, regret and pain. Whatever you face today, discover with Margaret how to embrace a way of living that’s deeper and fuller than you’ve ever known --- a life radiant with joy. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

MIRACLE AT THE HIGHER GROUNDS CAFE by Max Lucado, with Candace Lee and Eric Newman (Fiction)
After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea Chambers takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café. But when this admirable move fails to pay the bills, she finds herself desperate for help. Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door and, with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the Internet connection to the divine. Reviewed by Lynda Lee Schab.

THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER: A Treasures of the Nile Novel by Mesu Andrews (Historical Fiction)
Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives --- women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.

SABOTAGED: Alaskan Courage, Book Five by Dani Pettrey (Romantic Suspense)
Growing up, goody-two-shoes Kirra Jacobs and troublemaker Reef McKenna were always at odds. Now, working together as search-and-rescue for Alaska's arduous Iditarod race, a growing attraction seems to be forcing aside old arguments. Then Reef catches Kirra sneaking from camp in the middle of the night. Kirra's uncle, a musher in the race, has disappeared. Kirra and Reef quickly track the man, but what they discover is harrowing: Frank's daughter has been kidnapped. Reviewed by Lynda Lee Schab.

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU KNOW: Face Your Fears, Grow Stronger by Patsy Clairmont (Christian Life/Spiritual Growth)
Moving from a fear-based life to faith-based freedom is a journey that takes time and courage. While remaining scared and small can feel comfortable, taking hold of strength and determination opens our eyes to a measure of the Lord's goodness we've never seen. In YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU KNOW, Patsy Clairmont's trademark humor spills out as she answers the question she is most often asked --- how she overcame her own deliberating fears --- and along the way helps readers face their own anxieties, dismay, worries and despair. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

MAMA MAGGIE: The Untold Story of One Woman's Mission to Love the Forgotten Children of Egypt's Garbage Slums by Martin Makary and Ellen Vaughn (Biography)
Since 1997, Maggie Gobran and her organization Stephen’s Children have been changing lives in Cairo’s notorious zabala, or garbage slums. Her innovative, transformational work has garnered worldwide fame and multiple Nobel Prize nominations, but her full story has remained untold --- until now. Bestselling authors Martin Makary and Ellen Vaughn chronicle Mama Maggie’s surprising pilgrimage from privileged child to stylish businesswoman to college professor pondering God’s call to change. Reviewed by Susan Miura.

A THING OF BEAUTY by Lisa Samson (Romance)
When former child star Fiona Hume's money finally runs out, she decides to rent out the maid’s quarters to a local blacksmith named Josia Yeu. Josia is everything Fiona isn’t: gregarious, peaceful, in control without controlling...in short, happy. As the light from the maid’s quarters begins to permeate the dank rooms of Fiona’s world, something else begins to transform as well --- something inside Fiona. Something even she can see is beautiful. Reviewed by Lynda Lee Schab.

FOUND: GOD'S PEACE: Experience True Freedom from Anxiety in Every Circumstance by John MacArthur(Christian Life/Spiritual Growth)
The Bible urges Christians to rise above worries and experience the "peace that passes understanding." But how does this really happen in everyday life? Based on John MacArthur's bestselling ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, this small and concise book moves beyond pop psychology's temporary cures and returns readers to the true source of comfort and victory: Scripture. As MacArthur writes, the key to worry-free living is to develop habits of prayer, right thinking and action. Here he draws on rich biblical truths to show readers how. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

LOVING AN ADDICT: Gospel Reflections of Hope and Healing by Alyssa Phillips (Devotional)
Loving someone with an addiction represents huge spiritual challenges: overcoming denial; transcending fear, anger, shame and guilt; forgiving oneself and the loved one; deciding whether to stay or leave. In this collection of 52 devotions, Alyssa Phillips conveys the power of scripture to help Christians who, like herself, love someone suffering from an addiction. As they immerse themselves in the Gospel stories and imaginatively accompany Jesus through his life and ministry, readers will find hope and strength to face their challenges. Reviewed by Evelyn Bence.